POKHARA ENGINEERING COLLEGE

A REPORT ON WOODEN TRUSS AND

TRADITIONAL METHOD

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION - II
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 09/24/2020

SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:

DIKSHYA ACHARYA AR.PRADYUMNA ADHIKARI
ROLL NO.: A17/07 DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
YEAR/PART: III/I POKHARA ENGINEERING COLLEGE
INTRODUCTION
A wooden truss is a structural framework of timber members joined
together in triangular shapes by purlins designed to bridge the space
above a room or a building and to provide support for a roof. Trusses
are commonly used in bridges, roofs and towers. It is made up of a web
of triangles joined together to enable the even distribution of weight and
the handling of changing tension and compression without bending or
shearing.

DESCRIPTION
When the span of the roof exceeds 5m and where there is no inside walls to support the
purlins, trusses are used. The span of wooden truss is generally limited to 3m. The roof
consists of three elements: rafters, purlins and trusses. The various types of trusses in use
are:
1. King-post Truss
2. Queen-post Truss
3. Combination of king-post and queen-post trusses
4. Mansard Truss
5. Truncated truss
6. Bel-fast Truss

i. King-post Truss
In king post truss, purlins are supported by the principal rafter. The purlins support the closely spaced
common rafters. The slope of common rafters is same as that of the principal rafter. The common
rafters support the roof covering.
The Wooden King Post Truss Consists Following components:
 Tie Beam
 Two Inclined principal rafter
 Two struts
 King post
 Ridge Beam
 The Bottom chord of the truss acts as tie beam and this tie beam receives the ends of the principal
rafters and prevents the wall from spreading out due to thrust. The vertical king post is used to prevent
the sagging of tie beam at the center of a span. The Struts are connected to the tie beams and the
principal rafters in the inclined direction. The Struts are used to prevent the sagging of principal rafters.
Ridge beam is provided at the apex of the roof to provide end support of the common rafters. The
trusses are supported on the bed blocks of stone or concrete which are fixed in the supporting walls.

The Spacing of King Post truss is limited to 3 m center to center. The truss is suitable for spans varying
from 5 to 8 meter. It is not suitable for the long span. The king post truss does not provide storage space
because the frames are usually exposed and do allow extra room.

Uses:

 King post truss is used when there is a need to support the weight of an expansive roof.
 The king post truss is also used for simple roof lines and short span bridges.
 It is used in aircraft construction.

ii. Queen-post Truss

The wooden queen post truss differs from a king-post truss in having two wooden uprights or vertical
members which are known as queen post. Queen post truss consists of following components:
 Two Queen posts
 Two Principal Rafters
 Struts
 Tie Beam
 Straining beams
 Straining sills
 Purlins
In this roof, the queen posts are the tension members which are used to prevent the sagging of tie
beam. The upper ends of the queen-posts are kept in position by straining beam. The straining beam
receives the thrust from the principle rafters and also keeps the junction in a stable position.
A straining sill is fixed on the tie beam and also fixed between the feet of queen post. This straining sill
is used for reducing the thrusts from struts. The principal rafters, Straining beams, struts and straining
sill are in compression whereas the queen posts and tie beam are in tension.
Purlins are horizontal wooden members laid on principal rafters on wall-to-wall to support common rafter
of a roof which is fixed with cleat.

Queen post truss is suitable for 8 to 12 meters. This truss is made from a variety of materials such as
timber or steel. The queen post truss is simpler and lighter in weight. It does not put weight on the
center of the main tie beam, as the king post truss.

Queen post truss is used when there is a need to cover large areas. It is relatively low-cost and can be
made to fit almost any size or slope of the roof. It can also provide striking ceiling design that
differentiates a home.

iii. Composition of king-post and queen-post trusses

This truss is divided into two parts. The upper part of this truss is king post truss and middle to lower
part is queen post truss. This roof also consists of the diagonal braces which are located near the queen
posts and the ends of the tie-beams. This truss is suitable for spans up to 18 meters .

iv. Mansard Truss

This roof is also the combination of king post truss and queen post truss. Francois Mansard is a
first designer of this truss. It is called mansard roof. It is a two storied truss. The upper portion of
this truss is integrated as king post truss and the lower portion of the truss is integrated as
queen post truss. The entire truss has two pitches. The upper portion of the pitch varies from
30° to 40° and the lower portion of the pitch varies from 60° to 70°.The use of these roof trusses
results in economy in space, since a room may be provided between the two queen-posts.
These roof trusses have become obsolete because of its odd shape.

v. Truncated Truss
A truncated truss is similar to mansard truss except that its top is formed flat with gentle slope to
one side. Truncated truss is used when it is required to provide a room in the roof. This room is
located between the two queen posts of the truss.

vi. Bel-fast roof truss (Bow String truss)

Belfast roof truss is defined as a structural truss consisting of a curved top chord meeting a bottom
chord at each end.

The Belfast roof truss is in the form of a bow and is also called bow string or latticed roof truss. It is
made a thin section of timber.
The Belfast roof trusses were widely used for industrial buildings in the 19th centuries and early 20th
centuries because of its efficiency and economy for covering large clear spans up to 30m. It is a very
efficient structural form with a curved top member that behaves essentially as an arch in combination
with a horizontal tie member.

The Belfast roof truss consists of a two-piece bowed top chord and a two-piece horizontal bottom chord.
Lattice (bracing) members are nailed and notched between the top and bottom chords. The truss profile
is very good for uniformly distributed loading. This truss is acted like a tied arch, with the thrust line
almost coinciding with the alignment of the top chord, resulting in very small forces in the lattice
members.
In this roof trusses, eaves joints are connected with the top and bottom chords. End block (eaves) is
used to stop the compression force in the top chord and transfer the tension force to the bottom chord.
The purlins are located at the trusses and supported curved roof covering. The spacing of purlins is
uniform and located along the top chord. The central rise in this type of truss is usually kept about 1/8
the span.

These roof trusses are made both on and off site but most probably bigger trusses are made on site. It
is generally provided with a light roof covering. This arrangement is similar to the eaves detail of king or
queen post truss.

vii. Composite Roof Trusses

The Composite Roof truss is defined as a truss whose compressive members are of timber and whose
tension members are steel. The composite roof truss is made of two materials such as timber and steel
or wrought iron. Due to combination of two materials this truss known as the composite roof trusses.

In this roof, the tension members are made from steel and compression member are made from timber.
Steel is used as a tension member because its strength resists tensile stresses. Steel is having greater
tensile strength than timber. In the framework, the member in tension is usually replaced by a steel rod.
The Bottom chord of the truss acts as tie beam and this tie beam receives the ends of the principal
rafters and prevents the wall from spreading out due to thrust. The vertical king rod is used to prevent
the sagging of tie beam at the center of a span. King rod is used when there is a need to support the
weight of an expansive roof. This tie beam and king post are made of steel.
Principal rafters in composite trusses are made of timber, as the rectangular sections of timber have a
great strength in compression and purlins can be fixed easily. Purlins, struts and common rafter are also
made from the timber. Covering of roof is made from a different material such as Mangalore tiles, A.C
sheets or even pre-coated sheet. The composite truss is light in weight and economical.

If tension members are made from timber than the section of trusses become very heavy. So the steel is
used in tension members and reduces the section at joints. The special fittings are required at the
junction of steel and timber member. The joints in composite trusses should be such as of cast or forged
fittings. In composite roofs, Different types of fittings such as C.I head, C.I shoe, steel angle bolts and
straps are used. The composite roof truss is light in weight and economical. A well-designed composite
roof truss thus plays an important role in your safety and save money, too.
CONSTRUCTIONAL USES / ADVANTAGES
The constructional uses and advantages of wooden truss are listed below:

 Wooden truss is used in temples and monastries in Nepal.

 Timber roof trusses are very versatile and compatible with other
structural products and can be used in long span. So, the are used in
long bridges, multipurpose halls.
 They are economical since they can be installed without the use of
heavy machinery and are light weight. So, they are used in roofing
support in the traditional houses.
 Restaurants also choose to expose their corporate identity in the roof
design of their provided that timber trusses gives asthetic features to the
building.
 Timber trusses are also used the Pati, Pauwa, Gumbas, Guthis of
Kathmandu valley around the old towns.
 Timber trusses can also be used in concrete formwork, scaffolding and
falsewoek for industrial projects.
 They are energy efficient. They have excellent thermal properties,
especially when compared with other framing materials such as steel.
They create large cavities that are easy to insulate and hence are an
excellent insulator.

In general, trusses are used to:

o Achieve long spans

o Minimise the weight of a structure
o Reduce deflection
o Support heavy loads.
METHODOLOGY
The process of installation of wooden truss is described below:

Step 1: First of all, the wall plates must be leveled and secured to load
bearing walls. And mark the position of the trusses on both wall plates.

Step 2: Mechanically or manually lift the first truss onto the roof in the vertical
plane. Install the first truss so that it coincides with the end position of the
rafter diagonal bracing when fitted.

Step 3: Install the second truss ensuring its production face matches the first
truss by checking the labels or markings on the truss. Brace back to the first
truss with temporary horizontal bracing along the rafters and ceiling tie
members. Make sure both trusses are vertical.

Step 4: Install the third truss towards the gable end in the correct orientation
by checking the details in step 3. Check it is vertical and fix it to the temporary
bracing along the rafters and ceiling ties to create a stable unit. Similarly,
install further trusses.

Step 5: Fix the permanent diagonal braces to the inner face of the rafters at
45 degrees. This will be nailed to the wall plate at the lower end and then
fixed as high up on the first truss as possible but leaving space for the apex
brace. All permanent braces should be a minimum 22 x 97mm timber, dry and
defect free. Each truss should be fixed with 2 no. 3.1mm x 65mm long
mechanically driven gun nails or 3.35mm dia. x 75mm long galvanized nails.
Bracing may be jointed provided it spans at least two trussed rafters.

Step 6: Fix all remaining longitudinal bracing to rafters, struts and ceiling ties.
Remember all bracing is repeated on both sides of the roof.

Step 7: The temporary bracing can now be removed allowing any outstanding
trusses to be installed using the completed section of the roof as a means to
temporarily brace them.

Step 8: At this stage, all remaining longitudinal, diagonal and chevron bracing
specified should be fixed, along with the metal restraining straps, to the gable
end. If using ‘ top hat’ trusses, the upper section can now be connected.
 Step 9: Once installed but before felting and battening the roof, double check
that all trusses are aligned vertically and are restrained from bowing out of the
vertical plane.

Step 10: Finally, trusses should never be cut or adjusted in any way.

JOINTS:

Trusses consists of triangular units connected with straight members. The

ends of these members are connected at joints, known as nodes. They are
able to carry significant loads, transferring them to supporting structures such
as load bearing walls, beams or the ground.

The earliest wooden truss connections consisted of mortise-and-tenon joints

and were most likely crafted at the construction site with the posts. Since most
early trusses were made from unseasoned posts, the subsequent shrinkage
would create cracking at the mortise and tenon joints. Additionally, the
mortise-and-tenon joints in older trusses were located at the weakest point in
the post, accelerating failure. Much of the early truss connection designs
anticipated structural behavior under loads. This is why holes were drilled
slightly off-center, allowing the peg to naturally pull the posts together with
gravity.

WOODEN TRUSS USED IN TRADITIONAL CONSTRUCTION

Wood is abundantly found in Nepal. Almost one third of the country was covered
by a heavy rain forest and therefore timber was the most popular and lavishly
used building material during the ancient Nepal. It was used for all the structural
parts of the building such as roof frames, floor, columns, beams, lintels, doors
and windows. The most common timber is from Sal trees, found only in the
subtropical countries. This wood is dark in color and strong enough to withstand
centuries of weathering without doing much seasoning or painting. Later on
painted wood work became very popular, and the woodcarvings were painted
with gaudy colors.
In Nepalese traditional construction, timber has been used extremely. Timber is
mostly used as a support in the construction. It is used as posts, trusses, attic
floorings, stairs, beams, etc.
Although different kings built the temples and palaces in Kathmandu and Pokhara
Valley at the separate times, the basic material in use was wood.
During ancient times, the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square
and Patan Durbar Square were established. In the construction of these squares,
wooden truss is the most used material in roofing system in each structures.
In the process of civilization, the houses were also improved from huts to the
storied structure. During every periods like Malla period, Shah period, Rana
Period the roofing of houses are done using the wooden truss and load was
transferred to the load bearing walls since the technology was not acquired then.
The ancient towns can be seen around Patan, Bhaktapur, Bandipur, Tansen,
Nuwakot, Gorkha and other places all over Nepal. Newari settlement in the
Kathmandu valley is the live example using timber trusses.
Nowadays, timber is mostly used in buildings to give aesthetical feature and
maintaining the façade of old towns. It is also used in some modern houses, as
windows and doors, to give lavish exterior look for the façade. The trusses are
made off site and supplied by the production factories. However, they can be
made in site too.
Although, timber is easily available, it should be verified from different Forest
Departments for the production.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, the wooden truss is the most ecofriendly, economic, durable, light
weight material for the roofing system. It is mostly used in the traditional
construction in the context of Nepal. Varying on the types, it has different spans
and designs. Some of the types of truss can be used as attic/ storage under the
roof whereas the others can’t. Relying on the availability, it is used in modern
architecture to give aesthetical feature to the buildings. Mostly, it is done in public
buildings such as restaurants and halls. In case of Pokhara, timber trusses are
abundantly seen around Lakeside being used in restaurants, Temples and old
settlement area around Bindabashini Temple to Ganesh Tole route. Not included
in history, but the rural houses has also used timber trusses since past times.
In conclusion, the timber truss has been seen scattered around Nepal in different
cities reflecting different traditions and construction technology. Being used in
different shapes, its function, aesthetics, structure details and constructional uses
remains constant around the globe.

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